Are you building two different versions of your app (one with external links, one without) for different global regions due to regulations?

Been wondering how everyone handles region-specific compliance stuff.

Seems like some places have stricter rules about external links and redirects. Are you actually maintaining separate builds or just geo-blocking features?

Feature flags are the way to go. No need for two builds.

Separate builds are overkill unless you’re dealing with China or really strict markets. Most apps just use feature flags to toggle what shows based on location. It is way easier to maintain one codebase than juggling multiple versions. For external links, detect the region server-side and either show the link or redirect to an in-app alternative. One build offers full compliance control.

We dealt with this exact nightmare on a fintech app - different rules across regions. Started with separate builds and it was hell to maintain.

Switched to a config system instead. App checks user location at launch and grabs the right feature set from our backend. External links get filtered for certain regions, payment flows change, some UI elements disappear completely.

Build this flexibility early. Way easier than retrofitting later when you’re scrambling to hit compliance deadlines.

Took 3 weeks to implement but saved us months of headaches. One codebase, multiple behaviors based on user location.